


Ache

by TooBusyWriting



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers 4 predictions, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, But I don't care, Don't worry, F/M, Gen, It's Worth It I Promise, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pepperony - Freeform, Tony Stark being a Good Dad, but it's not focused on that, ending will give you cavities, in fact, nobody extra dies, people might be revived, reader is gender-neutral offspring of pepperony, the major character death is actually everyone who's already dead, there is no way this is close to what it'll be, who knows? it's fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 16:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15295089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooBusyWriting/pseuds/TooBusyWriting
Summary: Ever since the news, your heart has ached. Nothing's been the same sine Thanos attacked, but hopefully, it won't stay that way. Plus, you have your dad to help you out along the way, right?





	Ache

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by Tumblr user @w0nderr- “hi i want to request a peter parker x stark reader imagine where peter parker is gone and the reader is mourning, then one day her dad just comes home with peter, safe and sound, and everything just ends fluffy? thank you !! (also,, if you ever post it please tag me :))))"
> 
> Thanks for the request! I honestly had one idea originally, let it sit for a while, then decided to write it with a completely different one. Here's the final product, I'm actually kinda proud of it. Hope it lives up to your expectations! Oh, and I know A4 probably won't be like this, but a girl can dream, right?
> 
> This has been on my Tumblr for weeks now. It's about time I got it posted here as well.

Sobs had wracked your body when you had found out the news. Nothing could withhold the grief that overcame you. Your body was just too weak to do so. You had hit the ground knees first, but the pain hadn’t bothered you. It was nothing compared to the ache in your chest. He can’t, you thought over and over. He can’t be gone. Your mind couldn’t comprehend it, but your heart did. It ached and ached, and that ache never went away. Your dad held you; he, too, was sobbing. You had held him tightly. He was your lifeline at this moment. Just two Starks breaking down, sitting on the floor away from the rest of the survivors. 

After your dad got back from Titan with Nebula, he immediately had you and Pepper brought to Wakanda. It was deemed the safest place for those who had fought and survived, along with their families. Plus, it was convenient to have all the heroes involved in one place. The change of scenery had been nice, originally, but the news just made it seem worse. Wherever you looked, it mocked you. Peter never got to see this, never got to experience a new culture like this. Nowhere in your mind you could find it fair that you could and he couldn’t. Not to mention Princess Shuri’s lab. He really would have geeked out at that. The first time she brought you in, you took one glance and started crying again; the ache had grown stronger. So you had excused yourself and left. Thankfully, she understood, having lost her brother the same way. 

Even the weather felt like it was mocking you. Africa’s bright sun and warm weather was unnecessarily cruel, an extra punishment. How could the sun shine so brightly when your world was dimmed? How could it all stay the same?

 

“Hey kiddo,” your dad said as he sat down next to you. “Doin’ any better?” You gave the tiniest shakes of your head and continued to look out the window. The sunset was spectacular, all reds, oranges, and pinks. Truly beautiful. But you barely noticed it. Tony watched as you pulled your legs closer to your chest. He shifted and put his arm around your back. “To be honest, I’m not sure why I asked. I’m not doing any better, either.”

You turned your attention to him. You could see the sorrow in his brown eyes, and you knew they reflected the way your E/C ones gleamed. You attempted to give him a small smile. “It’s fine, Dad. It’s the thought that counts, right?” His lips twitched like he couldn’t bring himself to smile either. Understanding, he made sure you were comfortable, then sat in silence with you. Sitting there, thinking, processing, grateful for each other. After a while, you decided to break the silence again. 

“Hey, Dad,” you whispered, afraid that any louder would be more harmful, “you know that I don’t blame you for what happened, right?” When he opened his mouth, you cut him off. “And don’t say you don’t blame yourself. I know you, Dad. But I need you to know that I don’t blame you. Nobody could have seen all of this coming.”

He rubbed your arm gently, almost like he was trying to assure both of you he didn’t. “Thanks, Y/N. I’ll try to keep that in mind.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “Actually, I have something else I needed to tell you.” 

You sat up straighter, bracing yourself. “I’m guessing it’s more bad news?”

He chuckled a bit. “This time it’s not, surprisingly.” He gave you a smile then. Still not his usual ‘genius-billionaire-philanthropist’ smirk or one of his genuine smiles, but still a try. You tried not to get your hopes up. “We’re getting closer to an execution date. The plan is coming along nicely. At most, it’ll be six months before it’s all set in place. Not the years we estimated earlier. Sooner, hopefully, rather than later all of this will finally be over.”

Your shoulders sagged a smidge. “That’s great, Dad,” you managed to say. Better than what you were expecting, but still not what you dreamed of hearing. And the fact that your dad was still recovering from being stabbed didn’t exactly make you eager for him to go out to battle soon. 

Before the two of you could get lost in your thoughts again, FRIDAY interrupted. “Sorry, sir, but you’ve been requested by Ms. Potts for dinner. She says to bring Y/N, too.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY. Alright, offspring of mine, let’s go eat.” With that, you stood up and made your way to the dining hall- or was it room, or banquet hall? Nevermind, it didn’t matter. Food might help dampen the ache for a bit. 

 

Day in and day out, the ache remained. You did stuff to distract from it temporarily, but it was just that: a small distraction from the pain. Thor told you what had happened since he last saw you, back when Ultron was trying to destroy mankind. He remarked on how much you had matured in the few years and asked about school. You tried your best, but it was hard. Peter was involved in so much of it, and just thinking of him made your chest tighten. He tried to help. For every story of Peter, he’d tell you a story of him and Loki as kids. He was just one of many that understood your pain.

Bruce was back, too, which was good news. It was nice to see your dad joking around with him again. Or, at least, as much as the situation allowed. He was there as well when you talked with Thor about what happened. You had learned that he had been stuck as Hulk for two years, and it apparently affected him to the point of not being able to change back when needed. He tried to help distract you by doing experiments with him. It was a nice gesture, but once again, the lab reminded you of how Peter never got to see it. So you had politely declined and tried to change the subject. 

Seeing Steve again was odd. You hadn’t seen him since he went underground, being a war criminal or whatever. You mainly saw him in passing, not interacting much. It wasn’t that he didn’t like you, he was just going through his own grief. He had lost his two best friends, not just one person he was extremely close to. You let him be and he let you be. You knew that he would know when the two of you would be recovered enough to interact more. 

Natasha was back, as well. It was iffy, her disappearance. From what you had known, she had signed the Accords. Turns out she sort of betrayed your dad by shocking T’Challa to let Steve go. You had to find that out from your dad when she didn’t return with the rest. But when she saw you again, she had given you a hug and said sorry for missing out on movie nights. She kept her distance, as she was trying to find a way to get Clint involved and off house arrest so he could join the fight. That was fine. It had been a while since you had seen Clint. His presence would be well received in Wakanda. 

Rhodey was around quite a lot. He supported your dad through everything. Called him out on stuff, sure, and had to try not to laugh at his antics like usual, but still very supportive. You were glad that your dad had his two best friends by his side during this, and your mom. Rhodey hung out with you like always, and you even managed to rope him into convincing your dad to take a break a few times. 

The aliens were a bit off-putting. An assassin who was half-robot and apparently the adopted daughter of the Space Barney Grape. A talking raccoon that insisted that he was not a raccoon or trash panda, yet got called Rabbit by Thor. They acknowledged you as the Starkling, Stark Jr, or even just “Hey, kid.” While you had questions, you deemed it best not to ask and risk being harmed, quite the opposite of what your dad might have done. Thank goodness for the Potts genes. 

Princess Shuri was the best to hang out with. It was nice to have someone your age within the chaos. She insisted you to just call her Shuri. She easily distracted from the pain. Not only was she arguably the smartest person there, she knew her memes. She knew how to make you smile with vine references and movie quotes. Shuri ended up being the easiest to open up to about Peter. You felt more comfortable talking about him and how he would have loved to be friends with her. Maybe it was just because she was your age, but that’s the way it was. It helped that your parents adored her as well, to the point where you were sure they had a “no, you’re not adopting another science-child, Tony” conversation. 

You had told her this, and she laughed. “Does he do that often?” she asked. 

“Oh yeah,” you agreed. “All the time. He has me, of course, so he made sure I know my stuff. But back in 2013, he ran into this kid. His name is Harley, and he helped him out on a mission. Since then, he's been giving him gadgets, keeping an eye on him, and stuff. Then he ran into Peter. Sure, it was originally because he's Spider-Man, but then he learned how much of a geek he is.” You couldn't help the laugh that escaped your mouth next. “I think he likes him better than me sometimes. Honestly, the only thing my dad has a problem with is that I'm dating him- well, was…”

Shuri, thankfully, had decided to ask if there was more, which there was. Loads of college kids and such. She was a great friend and knew what needed to be said when.

If the time difference allowed, you would also use this time to contact your friends in New York who survived the snap. Thankfully, May had. MJ had, too. You snapped her, texted her, video chatted with her, did whatever to distract you. 

But as soon as these interactions ended, the ache came back in full force. It crushed you, making it hard to breathe. In these moments, solitude suited best. Where you could reflect on your memories of him. Too few, too short. Meeting him, the homecoming dance, the Vulture fiasco, all the dates. All the pictures and videos left of him.

All of it wasn't enough. The days dragged by. The ache stayed. Some days it grew, some days it was faint, but it was always there. Days stretched into weeks. The weeks passed slower than ever- even slower than during the school year. And finally, in due time, the execution day arrived. 

Your mom had found you and stayed with you the whole time. You clung to each other, waiting, hoping. It didn't even matter if Thanos won again. All you needed was for your dad to come back. That was all. If you lost him, the two of you would lose the rest of your world.

After agonizing hours, they finally sent word. They had won. Thanos was defeated. That was when the people started to reappear. 

Nobody could tell at first. They were apparently reappearing where they had faded. First, it was the workers that noticed. Then, in one big group, Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Vision, and T'Challa walked in. “What'd we miss?” You didn't catch who said it, as chaos broke out.

Through it all, you waited on bated breath. Was your dad okay? How about Bruce, Rhodey, Thor? The rest of the team? If people were reappearing, would Peter be back? You tried to not get your hopes up. It's possible only some people were brought back. 

Hours passed before the ship finally touched down. Everyone filed off. Everyone. All the Guardians, and everyone who had left to fight. You couldn't see Peter though. Is he there? Is he okay? He better be alive! you thought. As soon as your dad was in reach, however, all thoughts left and you ran to him.

He caught you in a hug, holding you close. “Hey, kiddo. I'm safe. We won. Everything is alright again.” You hugged him tighter. 

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” came flying out of your mouth. Without realizing it, you were already bawling. “Oh, Dad. I love you so much. I'm so glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“I love you too, Y/N.” He let go and took a step back. “But right now, I need to say hi to your mom, and you have someone else you need to talk to.” He winked at you and left.

Shocked, you stood there. Was he serious? Did he mean Peter was alive? Before you could double check with him, something tapped you on the back.

You slowly turned around. This can't be real. There is no way any of this is real. Slowly, red and blue filled your vision. And with it, the face you thought you'd never see in person again. “Peter!” The tears came down even faster.

Before you can comprehend, he pulled you to him and hugs you tightly. “Y/N,” he breathed, like he himself can hardly believe it. The two of you stood there holding each other, and the rest of the world fades away. Your whole world was back, right in front of you, with the other two parts in a similar position a few feet away. 

You pulled back a smudge, just enough that you could hold his face in your hands. That's when you noticed his face is wet. “Peter, you're crying.”

He smiled back. “Yeah, I am. I get to see your pretty face for the first time in months, of course I am.” It's really sappy, but neither of you cares in the moment. “And you're crying, too, babe.” 

“Oh,” you gasped. “I am?” He nodded. “Oh, Peter,” you repeated. Then you pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet, just like him. When it ended, you kissed his face repeatedly. His cheeks, forehead, nose, eyebrows, anywhere you could reach. He just laughed as you did so. 

“I love you,” he whispered in your ear. 

You couldn't help the automatic smile. “I love you too, spiderboy.” His brown eyes crinkled with his smile adorably. “Man, you have so much you need to catch up on!”

“I bet! And I'll need to talk to so many people, tell them I'm alright.”

You nodded in agreement. “And one thing- I told Shuri a lot about you- both the Spider-Man and Peter Parker sides. Is that okay? It's just, you were…..”

“Yeah, yeah. That's fine. I feel she would've found out sooner or later. Anyway, how'd you become friends with the princess of Wakanda?! She's, like, the smartest person alive!” 

That launched a conversation that could potentially last forever. Your geek was back. He had you introduce him to Shuri almost right away. Unbeknownst to you, your parents made sure to record the whole thing. Memories of a lifetime we're being made.

Peter was back. Everything was okay again. The team was back together. Shuri and Peter got to geek out together, finally. You didn't even notice right away, but the ache was gone. Instead, a warm, solid feeling of love replaced it. It was the best feeling in the world. And if everything goes right, you'll do your best to make sure you get to feel it around Peter for the rest of your life.


End file.
